


Birds of a Feather

by DesertLily



Series: Fatherhood [5]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce is trying to be a good dad, Drug Running, Gen, Harper is a concerned sister, Sick!Cullen, Sickfic, drug mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21666748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/pseuds/DesertLily
Summary: After Cullen gets sick, Harper is forced to work more shifts and longer hours to afford the medicine he needs. When she starts skipping patrol, Bruce grows concerned.
Relationships: Cullen Row & Harper Row, Harper Row & Bruce Wayne
Series: Fatherhood [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1519229
Kudos: 68





	Birds of a Feather

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly idk if i like this or not

It started with a cough. Nothing big or dramatic. Just a cough Cullen couldn’t seem to shake. A cough that grew worse and worse as a fever began to set in. The fever was quickly followed by an upset stomach. All Harper really knew was that her little brother was sick and she couldn’t afford to look after him whilst he was. Her job as a mechanic barely paid enough for them to get by as it was. It left her in a bad position but she wouldn’t abandon him. There was no way in hell she would ever leave him to fend for himself. Though, Harper had very few options. 

First things first, she used the little money she had saved up for a special occasion to call a doctor out to their apartment. Cullen wasn’t in any state to go out to a doctor’s office. It was the best option. Even if it was a little pricy. Harper knew the cost would set them back a lot but she would do anything for her little brother. Whatever it took to get him well again. Though, she was on edge the entire time. Technically, Harper wasn’t old enough to be Cullen’s legal guardian which meant that, if a doctor probed, he could end up sent back to living with their father. The prospect terrified her. Thankfully, this was Gotham. The doctor cared for very little in regards to them other than doing his job and getting paid. 

The diagnosis was one she had been dreading. It was some sort of infection that had a name too long for her to remember but it came with some pricy antibiotics. On her current pay grade, there was no way in hell Harper could afford them. But without them...She didn’t want to think about what would happen to her brother without them. But she couldn’t lose him. Not Cullen. He would always be her main priority. 

That was why Harper had started looking for a second job. It was the only solution. There was no other (legal) way she could get the money and it wasn’t like she could just go and ask Bruce for the money. Harper was fairly certain he despised her. Not that she entirely blamed him. She knew how annoying she could be. Especially so whilst attempting to be a vigilante. Finding work had been surprisingly...easy. Whilst jobs weren’t exactly in abundance in Gotham, someone young willing to work for less than minimum wage was more than enough to gain the attention of a few employers. So she began to pick up odd jobs - everything from dog walking to even more shifts at the garage she already worked out. Harper was working herself to the bone, desperate to earn enough yet it seemed to be in vain. Regardless of how much she earned, it didn’t seem enough to get the right antibiotics to help. Cullen was getting worse and getting worse quickly and she didn’t have enough to call the doctor out again. Harper had dropped out of school to work long ago, insisting she was taking online classes (a major lie -they didn’t even have WiFi) but now she had to consider giving up something that she saw as being far more important. Bluebird. 

The time she spent on patrol could be time spent working to make more money for Cullen. Gotham had enough vigilantes that it could do without her for a while, right? People would hardly notice she was gone. Unfortunately, very few legitimate jobs for teenagers were available at night. The one Harper ended up taking just filled her with anxiety. It was ironic, really. She had given up being a hero to become a drug runner. But she was being paid good money for it. It was worth the risk. It worked fine for a few nights. She made the deliveries, got paid then went back home to Cullen. If she was lucky, she might even manage to get a small nap in! 

Unfortunately, she had underestimated how many people would be concerned by her absence. It didn’t help that drug running seemed to leave a fairly open trail. At least, one easy enough for a Bat to follow. Especially the Bat because of course it would be him who found her. “So this is what you’re up to? Slacking off patrol for this?” And there was the grouchy Batman that she remembered. 

Harper doubted he’d want to hear her out but she still tried. “...Cullen’s sick. I-I needed the money.” There was a slight slur to her voice. Maybe going so long without eating or without sleeping wasn’t a good idea. Especially since she seemed to be seeing double of Batman. 

“...Harper?” And just like that his entire stance changed. Suddenly she wasn’t dealing with Batman. She was dealing with Bruce Wayne. “Harper, look at me.” Reluctantly, she did just that. Exhausted eyes met concerned ones. “...What happened?” A gloved hand came to rest on her shoulder. It seemed Batdad was out in full. 

For a few brief moments that felt like a life time, Harper hesitated and stayed quiet. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to sound pathetic. “...Cullen’s sick. I...I need the money to get his meds.” She looked down at that, very much ashamed of what she had had to do. 

“Get in the Batmobile.” 

Harper’s head shot up at that. That hadn’t been the response she was expecting. “...What?” 

“We’re going to get your brother help. Now get in to the Batmobile.” Even Harper knew hmhbhh to argue with the Bat when he was like this. She never quite understood his need to take control of every situation but this time? Harper was grateful for it. 

The car ride to her crappy apartment was dead silent. Harper didn’t speak and Bruce had never been one for small talk. But it was when they finally entered the apartment that all hell seemed to break loose. 

“...Cullen?” Harper called out as they headed inside. The silence that she got in response caused a foul feeling to begin forming in her stomach. Something was telling her he wasn’t just asleep. Something was wrong. With a wavering hesitance, Harper made her way to her brother’s room before freezing in the doorway. “Shit.” Cullen Row lay curled up on his bed, drenched in his own sweat. His fever had gotten worse. Significantly so. 

Whilst she didn’t move, Bruce needed no encouragement before heading inside. It wasn’t his first time dealing with a sick kid. Harper could only watch as he moved to pick up her little brother with a care she certainly hadn’t expected from him. Then Bruce looked her straight in the eyes. “You know how to drive, right?” Harper nodded quickly. Holy shit. He was going to let her drive the Batmobile. That was probably the only highlight out of this. 

To say Harper’s driving skills were questionable would be an understatement. Not to mention the Batmobile was unlike any car she had driven before (especially since she technically didn’t have a license). Bruce himself had chosen to stay in the back with Cullen, keeping watch over him for her. The address that had been plugged in to the GPS wasn’t one she recognised. It definitely wasn’t the Manor. But if the Bat himself said it was somewhere safe than she really did have little choice but to trust him. 

After what felt like a brief lifetime, Harper found herself pulling up outside a small clinic. Huh. As if sensing her mild surprise, Bruce cleared his throat. “It’s owned by a friend of me. She can help.” In all honest, she was a little bit surprised at the fact Batman had any friends. He was Batman! He was all ‘I am vengeance! I am angst!’ 

Harper was quick to make her way out of the car, just wanting to get Cullen the help he needed as soon as she could. Thankfully, Bruce seemed to be on the same page as the Bat rushed inside with her younger brother in his arms. She made sure to lock the Batmobile before heading inside; She really, really didn’t want to be the one to blame if it got stolen. 

She got inside at the right moment to watch as Batman handed Cullen off to people who were hopefully going to help. Harper found herself loitering in the doorway as she watched, feeling more than a little helpless. There was nothing else she could do to Cullen. Now that Cullen was dealt with, Batman turned his attention to her. A sinking feeling filled her stomach as he made his way over. “...He’ll be okay. Leslie will look after him.” She would never get used to any sort of gentleness coming from the freaking Batman. “But we need to talk.” A sigh escaped him at that. “You shouldn’t have been doing that, Harper. Skipping patrol to be a drug runner? That’s reckless! Even for you.” 

If the room hadn’t been empty excluding them, she would probably be more concerned at the open mention of patrol. Instead Harper just felt ashamed. “...I needed the money for Cullen. I-I wasn’t earning enough at my garage job to get him anything. I didn’t have a choice.” 

That seemed to unsettle the Bat. “You should have come to me. You know I have money. I can easily afford to help you. I want to help you.” Seeing her about to protest, he held up a hand to silence her. “We may not always see eye to eye and you may make me more than a little exasperated.” Wow. Bruce was really making her feel loved. “But I’m still here to help when and if you need it. Okay?” 

“I..Okay.” The sinking feeling in Harper’s stomach began to disappear. “Thank you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Love it? Hate it? Comments are always appreciated or hmu @ desert-lily on tumblr!


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